August 2008 E-Bulletin

The E-Bulletin aims to keep you up-to-date with the latest news and information related to the mental health and wellbeing of Australia's culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. Please alert your colleagues and friends about this publication and encourage them to sign up to the MMHA mailing list.

WHAT'S NEW?

1. New directions in detention: Refugee support groups have welcomed the Rudd Government’s new reforms to Australia’s immigration detention system. Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, said that under Labor’s reforms, detention in immigration detention centres will only be used as a last resort and for the shortest practicable time. While those who do not pose a danger to the community will be able to remain in the community while their visa status is resolved, Senator Evans said that mandatory detention will remain for three groups of people such as unauthorised arrivals, unlawful non-citizens who present unacceptable risks to the community and people who have repeatedly refused to comply with their visa conditions. Under the reforms, children and where possible their families, will not be detained in detention centres. “Once in detention, a detainee’s case will be reviewed every three months to ensure that the further detention of the individual is justified,” Senator Evans said. Since September 1992, anyone who had arrived in Australia without proper travel documents - including those seeking asylum - were immediately detained until they were granted either a visa or deported. Visit: www.minister.immi.gov.au/media/speeches/2008/ce080729.htm for a full transcript of Senator Evans’ speech.

2. The highs and lows of NSW Treasurer, Michael Costa: The NSW Treasurer, Michael Costa, recently spoke about his personal experience of living with depression while launching the Black Dog Institute’s latest book, Mastering Bipolar Disorder. Mr Costa, who is of Greek heritage, shared how mental illness has impacted on his family including his mother and sister. The Treasurer reflected on the need to educate our migrant communities about  the problems associated with mental illness and the appropriate treatments available. He also tapped into the  impact stigma has on culturally and lingusitically diverse communities and their reluctance to seek help. “Particularly in the migrant community, these mood disorder and behavioural problems do come with a great degree of stigmatism. Part of it is based on ignorance of the alternatives and treatments that are available, but a lot of it is based on the ignorances associated with largely uneducated cultures that confront the modernised world and treatment regimes within that world that don't make any sense,” he said. Mr Costa’s speech was very powerful and MMHA is keen to see more prominent people from CALD backgrounds affected by mental illness speak out. Visit: www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/media/newsdesk/index.cfm for a transcript of the Treasurer’s speech.

3. HOPE awards: The winners of the 2007/08 HOPE awards were recently announced during a special screening in Sydney. It was the second year the short-film competition was held and attracted over 50 entries from filmmakers across the country. Filmmakers were challenged to create a short film containing a clear message of hope for people affected by mental illness. Multicultural Mental Health Australia was on the Steering Committee and assisted in shortlisting the winners in two categories – drama and documentary. The winner for the drama category was Hannah Moon for Hamish with runner up Chelsea Cassio for Imaginery Friend. Brendon Brown Killen won an award for his documentary, Less Than Perfect. Gita Irwin was runner up for her film titled:The Black Dog. Alongside the winning films, the Steering Committee presented an additional award for the film that showed promise in film making and also contained the message of hope. Michael Wilson and the residents of Footbridge Community Care Unit in Victoria took out this award. Some of the films will soon be available as a resource on DVD. For further information please contact Stuart Bicknell from Eli Lily - 02 9325 4527.

4. Quality Use of Medicines Campaign with Chinese and Italian Seniors: Since 2004, the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Council of Australia (FECCA) and the  National Prescribing Service (NPS) have been working together to promote the safe and appropriate use of medicines to multicultural communities. A campaign will be run between September and December 2008 for Chinese and Italian speaking seniors regarding the risks and benefits of medicine use and how to minimise risks and use medicines safely. FECCA and NPS are encouraging bilingual health professionals to get involved in promoting this campaign and disseminate translated health information resources. If you would like to be involved or would like more information, please contact Jackie Stephenson at NPS - 02 8217 8700 or email: jstephenson@nps.org.au or Corinne Dobson at FECCA - 02 6282 5755 or email: mcqum2@fecca.org.au

5. Awards in mental health: CAN (Mental Health) Inc. is calling for nominations for its NSW Mental Health Consumer of the Year Awards 2008. There are two categories for these highly prestigious awards including an award for the consumer who has contributed to the Australian mental health consumer movement and the consumer who has contributed to promoting an acceptance of people with a mental illness within the Australian community. Nominations close Friday 5pm 15th August 2008. Contact Consumer Activity Network (mental Health) Inc. on (02) 8206 1841 or by email: admin@canmentalhealth.org.au for the nomination form and guidelines.  Winner will be announced at the NSW Mental Health Consumer of the Year Awards at Parliament House, Sydney on Thursday 18 September 2008. 

Meanwhile, the Mental Health Matters Award 2008 aims to recognise the hard work and dedication of individuals and organisations who have demonstrated a commitment towards addressing key mental health issues on a local, regional or state-wide level over the past 12 month period from September 2007 - August 2008. These awards encourage individuals and organisations that have designed and utilised innovative and effective programs to enhance the mental health in our communities through improving understanding, awareness and service provision of mental health issues. There are 13 categories including the Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Award, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Award, Arts Award, Carer Award, Consumer Award, Government Organisation Award, Individual Award, Industry or Private Sector Organisation Award, Media Award, Non-government or Community Organisation Award, Partnership Award, Research Award and Senior Award. Nominations for the 2008 Mental Health Matters Awards close 5pm, Friday 15 August 2008. The presentation ceremony will be held during Mental Health Week 2008. For online nominations or more information please visit www.mentalhealth.asn.au/campaigns/awards.htm

The 2008 LIFE Awards are now open for nomination: The LIFE Awards are a prestigious national annual event, which acknowledges the vital work that is being undertaken in the prevention of suicide across Australia. The LIFE Awards are held in conjunction with World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10. The theme for this year is "Think Globally, Plan Nationally, Act Locally". Awards are in nine categories including business, youth, community, Indigenous, public sector, media (print), media (non-print), lifetime research and emerging research. Previous winners have included Consortium member, Professor Diego De Leo. Please visit www.suicidepreventionaust.org/Awards.aspx for more information including a description of each award category. Nominations close Thursday 22 August 2008.

6. Disability services pilot to break down the language barrier: The Queensland Government has announced piloting a state-wide language service to help break down communication barriers experienced by people from non-English speaking backgrounds also living with a disability. Communities and Disability Services Minister, Lindy Nelson-Carr, said Disability Services Queensland (DSQ) has committed $600,000 in funding for the two-year pilot to develop and deliver the Interpreting and Translating Assistance Strategy. "The pilot will assist DSQ funded non-government services in a number of ways, from helping them generate easily understood information for their clients, as well as enabling them to tailor their supports to cater for individuals' language needs,” Ms Nelson-Carr said. "It will also help people who are deaf or who have a vision impairment." As part of the project, the successful tenderer will gather detailed information about issues surrounding the provision of language services to people with a disability. This will provide the Government with an even greater understanding for the ongoing development of supports and services required. "This information will help determine the future direction of interpreting and translating services to ensure those who need the most help are receiving it," Ms Nelson-Carr said. Information on the Interpreting and Translating Assistance Strategy is available online at http://www.disability.qld.gov.au/sngo or by phoning DSQ on 07 3247 3566.

PUBLICATIONS/RESOURCES:

1. Living Is For Everyone (LIFE) Framework resources: The new Living Is For Everyone (LIFE) Framework resources have just been released. The LIFE  Framework has been developed under the Australian Government’s National Suicide Prevention Strategy. It provides a national platform for the planning and provision of suicide and self-harm prevention activity in Australia. The LIFE Framework is supported by research and evidence as well as a set of user-friendly fact sheets. These cover 24 topics including information on suicide for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. This fact sheet aims to raise awareness of the issues surrounding suicide for people from CALD backgrounds to increase resilience and prevention. Visit the new look LIFE website for these and other information.
www.livingisforeveryone.com.au or email: life@crisissupport.org.au or call – 03 8398 8408.

2. Victorian Multicultural Resources Directory 2008-2009: The Victorian Multicultural Commission has released an important new resource to help people access services across Victoria. The easy-to-use directory lists the details for more than 1700 interfaith networks, language service providers, government agencies, chambers of commerce, consulates and community language schools and is available at libraries, community and information centres. Download the resource: www.multicultural.vic.gov.au/web24/vmc.nsf/headingpagesdisplay/publications

3. Psychoses, ethnicity and socio-economic status by J. B. Kirkbride, D. Barker, F. Cowden, R. Stamps, M. Yang, P. B. Jones and J. W. Coid, The British Journal of Psychiatry (2008) 193: 18-24. The Royal College of Psychiatrists: this study aimed to investigate whether risk for psychoses remained elevated in black and minority ethnic (BME) populations compared with the white British population, after adjustment for age, gender and current socio-economic status. The researchers relied on a population-based study of first-episode DSM–IV psychotic disorders, in individuals aged 18–64 years in East London over 2 years. To view the findings visit: http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/193/1/18

4. Young Adults with Serious Mental Illness: Some States and Federal Agencies are Taking Steps to Address Their Transition Challenges. GAO Report. USA. 2008. The transition to adulthood can be difficult for young adults who suffer from a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. When these individuals are unsuccessful, the result can be economic hardship, social isolation, and in some cases suicide, all of which can pose substantial costs to society. Therefore, GAO was asked to investigate the challenges these young people face, how selected states in the USA assist them and how the United States government supports States in serving these young adults and coordinates programs to assist them. This report provides a thorough analysis of the number of young adults affected by mental illness and the gaps in the current services in the United States. While the survey touched on the difficulty in finding culturally competent or linguistically appropriate mental health care for young adults, it also outlined how some States in the USA are actually providing multidimensional services to young people that are culturally competent and take into account the personal age, race, gender and culture. The report can be found: www.gao.gov/new.items/d08678.pdf

5. Better Access to Mental Health Care – a brochure for consumers and carers: this brochure has been developed to explain, as simply as possible, the types of Medicare-rebateable mental health services that are available under the Better  Access to Mental Health Care. It also provides an outline of the purpose of the GP Mental Health Care Plan. The Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners through the Medicare Benefits Schedule (Better Access) is an initiative designed to improve access to mental health care provided by GPs, psychologists, psychiatrists, and appropriately trained social workers and occupational therapists. The Department of Health and Ageing is encouraging GPs, psychiatrists, allied mental health providers, and consumer and carer organisations to distribute this new brochure. For copies please call National Mail and Marketing – 1800 066 247 or download copies from www.mentalhealth.gov.au

6. Wishes to Wisdom Report: launched during Refugee Week, the Wishes to Wisdom Report tells the story of a special project for women from Southern Sudan now living in western Sydney. The report provides useful information and strategies for working with similar communities. The women’s program has been run by the Sydney West Area Health Service, Penrith Women’s Health Centre, Mamre Plains and other local services for women from Southern Sudan living in the local community. The stories captured in this report reveal the personal accounts of learning to survive in a new country, trust, safety, sense of self and family as well as learning English. The report is available in PDF and hardcopy formats. Please contact Joy Chapman - 02 4734 1600 or email: chapmaj@wahs.nsw.gov.au or Clare Darling - 02 4734 1603 darlinc@ wahs.nsw.gov.au for further information.

7. Australia’s Health 2008 – No. 11: This is the 11th biennial health report of the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare. It’s regarded as the nation’s premier source of statistics and informed commentary on patterns and determinants of health and diseases, health across the life stages, the supply and use of health services, expenditure and workforce and health sector performance. The information provided about mental health problems focuses on the prevalence of mental illness, the stigma and hospitalisation rates. It highlights how mental illness was estimated to be responsible for 13% of the total burden of disease in Australia in 2003, placing it third as a broad disease group after cancers and cardiovascular disease. Almost all – around 93% of the mental illness burden was due to disability rather than premature mortality. In fact, mental illnesses accounted for almost one-quarter (24%) of the total disability burden for all diseases. To download this information or order a copy: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10585

8. New translated fact sheets available from the Child Support Agency: The Child Support Agency (CSA) is an Australian Government agency that supports separated parents, including those from diverse and non-English speaking backgrounds, with securing child support payments. New fact sheets especially developed for bilingual customers are now available on the CSA's website http://www.csa.gov.au/fact/#general in Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese. The fact sheets provide a brief outline of the CSA and an overview of the rights and responsibilities of separated parents and were developed in consultation with various community groups. In addition to these resources, CSA has also produced a range of publications including a series of support booklets for families that provide advice on the key areas of separation. These publications are free and are available in English, Chinese, Arabic, Vietnamese, Spanish and Turkish. To order translated publications, call 1800 040 972 or visit www.csa.gov.au/translated

9. Mental Health Services in Australia 2005-06: The tenth in the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s mental health series. This recently released resource provides a detailed overview of Australia’s mental health services in 2005-06. It brings together a diverse range of data on the services used by Australian mental health consumers, and provides information on patient demographics and comparisons of service use between states and territories. It features data on the level of mental health-related care in general practice, emergency departments and in residential care. These figures capture trends amongst people born overseas. This report is a useful resource for health planners, policy makers, administrators, practitioners, researchers and others with an interest in mental health in Australia. For copies please visit: www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10594

EVENTS/TRAINING/RESEARCH:

1. Events at the Victorian Transcultural Psychiatry Unit: the VPTU is hosting a number of seminars including Cross-cultural perspectives on working with families. This free seminar and case presentation on Wednesday 20 August aims to highlight some issues that mental health workers need to be aware of when working with families from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The seminar will feature first-hand accounts from MMHA Consortium member and Carer Consultant, Kali Paxinos and Carer Consultant, Hanh Le. Both will share their personal experiences and suggest ways to improve practice when working with families from CALD backgrounds. The Coordinator of the Transcultural Mental Health Access Program at ADEC, Rajiv Ramanathan, will also address the gathering along with the Psychiatric Registrar at St Vincent's Hospital, Dr Charlotte Burgell, who will present a transcultural case for clinicians only after the seminar.

VTPU, Level 2, Bolte Wing, St Vincent's Hospital 14 Nicholson St. Fitzroy. VIC. Seminar: 3-4 pm. Transcultural Case Study for clinicians only: 415-515 pm

The Victorian Transcultural Psychiatry Unit is also hosting a 2-day workshop for all mental health professionals titled: Culturally Responsive Clinical Practice from Thursday 28 - Friday 29 August. This workshop will aim to provide participants with a framework to enhance their competence in engaging and working with clients and carers of diverse cultural backgrounds. The workshop will increase awareness, knowledge and skills in relation to cultural factors influencing the clinical relationship, the regulation and expression of emotion, and in differentiating beliefs from psychopathology. The presenters are Clinical Psychologist, Research & Education Consultant, Dr Yvonne Stolk; Education and Service Development Consultant, Tony Blanco; and Clinical Psychologist, Education & Service Development Consultant, Sarah Murgia. Bookings are essential for both events – please call the VTPU - ph) 03 9288 3300 or email vtpu@svhm.org.au

2. CMY training: The Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) in Melbourne is offering training programs on working with refugees in October. These will all be held at the Co.As.It office at 189 Faraday Street, Carlton, VIC.

Introduction to Working with refugee and newly arrived young people: is designed for those working with young people from refugee backgrounds who wish to gain introductory knowledge about the refugee experience and key strategies for supporting young refugees. Participants will learn key aspects of the refugee experience and the impact on settlement for young people and families.
Session Date: Tuesday 14 October (registrations close Tuesday 30 September)
Time: 9.00am-1.00pm. Cost: $120

Working with refugee and newly arrived young people in the family context: this half-day session is designed for practitioners supporting refugee and newly arrived young people who wish to explore ‘family-focused’ practice. It will focus on the impact of the refugee experience on family dynamics and sources of family conflict. Participants will explore changes to the relationships and dynamics of refugee families as well as identify some causes of and responses to dynamics between generations in newly arrived families.
Session Date: Thursday 23 October (registrations close Thursday 9 October)
Time: 9.00am -1.00pm. Cost: $120

For more information about these courses please contact Rosemarie Iera – 03 9340 3700 or email: riera@cmyi.net.au
 
3. Sudanese Refugees in Shepparton: Rhetoric vs Reality: Are settlement services addressing the needs of newly arrived Sudanese Refugees in Shepparton so they are actively included in society? University of Melbourne Honours, Public Policy and Management student, Michelle Johnson, is currently undertaking her thesis on the resettlement of newly arrived Sudanese refugees within the Shepparton region in Victoria. Michelle says she is interested in the Shepparton region because of its long history in welcoming new migrants and refugees. Michelle wishes to explore whether the regional focus of refugee resettlement can be effective and sustainable considering concerns about the ability of regional areas to provide appropriate services and infrastructure to accommodate newly arrived refugees. Michelle's thesis will further explore how services and programs in the region are addressing concerns of social exclusion for newly arrived Sudanese refugees and whether or not local service providers are effective and working to ensure the Sudanese are actively involved and included in their new community. If you wish to find out more or can assist Michelle with her research please email her at: m.johnson2@ugrad.unimelb.edu.au

4. Mental Health Council of Australia (MHCA) Carers Engagement Project: The Mental Health Council of Australia (MHCA) is continuing to roll out its Carers Engagement Project with workshops around the country. The workshops are designed to assist family members and carers of a person living with a mental illness further develop their coping and management skills. There will be specific workshops for carers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds including:

Bankstown, NSW: 27 August – CALD

Geelong, VIC: 2 September – CALD

Mirrabooka, WA: 20 September - CALD

The Carers Engagement Project aims to record the real life experiences of mental health carers, encourage carers to identify their current and future information needs and provide a method of ongoing monitoring of carers’ experiences by the MHCA Project. The MHCA will use the experiences and information discussed at the workshops to advocate for better outcomes for mental health carers through the development of an annual snapshot of carers’ experiences. For more information about this project please call contact Linda Rosie - 02 6285 3100 or email:
linda.rosie@MHCA.org.au or visit: www.mhca.org.au

5. Comorbidity Professional Development Scholarships: The National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA) has identified the pressing need for specialist training and resources to assist workers in non-government agencies (NGOs) that provide alcohol and other drugs (AOD) and mental services to identify, manage and/or refer people with co-occurring mental health problems and drug and alcohol-related issues. It has been granted nearly $2 million for its Alcohol and Other Drugs and Mental Health Comorbidity Professional Development Scholarships Program. These scholarships aim to build expertise in the detection and treatment of mental health problems for workers who currently provide AOD-related client services and vice versa, as well as build expertise in the detection and treatment of AOD-related issues for these workers. Applications for Round 3 are now open and close on Monday 25th Aug 2008. The scholarships will be announced on 27 October. Visit www.nceta.flinders.edu.au/projects/comorbidity.html for more details.

6. Working with Clients from Culturally Diverse Backgrounds: Robert Grant PhD. is a clinical psychologist from California, USA. His expertise is in the area of trauma treatment and transcultural practice. Dr Grant has treated people affected by war and disaster and will be in Adelaide for a 1-day workshop on 20 August 2008. His workshop, at the Balyana Conference Centre, aims to explore the issues of cultural awareness and competency, and the skills required to work with clients from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. This workshop will examine the therapeutic concerns, communication styles, cultural competence, making practice environment more CALD friendly, developing rapport, assessment and key issues pertaining to the development of integrative approaches to interventions and treatment. The workshop is suitable for mental health practitioners from different disciplines, health and allied health workers, nurses, rehabilitation support workers, correctional officers, aged care workers, Centrelink and employment/ training officers, counselors, residential care workers, therapists, General Practitioners and others. If you wish to attend, please contact: Tatra Corporate & Allied Health Training Services - Tel: 08 8221 6668, Fax: 08 8221 5033 or e-mail: tatra@chariot.net.au

7. The Body as Voice Part II Workshop: Kinesthetic and non-verbal approaches to working with severe traumas: This 3-day workshop will build on the previous Body as Voice workshop offered at the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) in February 2007. It will include a review of past workshops and will also explore how somatic psychology, dance movement therapy, developmental psychology, body-mind centering, Polyvagal Theory and creative arts approaches can be incorporated into the healing process with survivors of extreme trauma. STARTTS is hosting this event from 21-23 August. 9-4pm. 152 - 168 The Horsley Drive, Carramar, NSW. For more information please visit www.startts.org.au or call 02 9794 1900.

8. Free support workshop for men: Get some free tools to get your stress and frustration in the right place. Richmond Community Services Inc. in partnership with Hawkesbury District Health Service in Victoria are offering a free ongoing 3-week workshop for men to give them tools for harnessing their responses to stressful situations. These workshops will be held at the Richmond Neighbourhood Centre - 20 West Market Street, Richmond, VIC every Monday in August from 530-7pm. Bookings are essential. Please email: admin@rcsi.ngo.org.au

CONFERENCES:

1. From Margins to Mainstream: 5th World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and the Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders. Melbourne, Australia. 10 –12 September 2008: VicHealth is hosting this event, which is being organised by the World Federation for Mental Health, the Clifford Beers Foundation, the Mental Health Program of the Carter Center, Auseinet and supported by the Global Consortium for Prevention and Promotion in Mental Health (GCAPP). It aims to explore new ways that individuals and organisations, from a range of sectors, can promote mental health and prevent mental illness. The aim of this conference is to confirm that mental health promotion is no longer at the margins but rather firmly established in mainstream research, policy and practice arenas. This conference will develop strategies, which address health inequalities for those at the margins of society. Organisers hope to attract practitioners, researchers and policy makers from a broad range of sectors, including those within education, justice, planning, the arts, technology and human rights, to attend this conference. It is envisaged this will provide delegates with examples of good practice across different sectors, and will highlight the local, regional and international partnerships that can be created to promote mental health and prevent mental illness. For further information contact please call - 03 9370 1265or visit:
www.margins2mainstream.com

2. 15th Australasian Conference on Traumatic Stress (ACOTS) - Traumatic Stress: Challenges for the Coming Decade: Bayview Eden, Melbourne, Australia. 11 -13 September 2008: This conference aims to bring together a range of perspectives on trauma to provide a stimulating exchange of ideas. Keynote speakers include Joy Osofsky, Professor of Paediatrics and Psychiatry at the Louisiana State University’s Health Sciences Centre, New Orleans, USA and  Professor Gordon Parker from the Black Dog Institute. The organisers are emphasising clinical practice by scheduling a skills based “mini-workshop” in each of the concurrent paper sessions. The conference will bring together key advances in research and treatment of posttraumatic stress, and provide a forum for a broad range of people interested in trauma, including practitioners, researchers, consumers, service developers and policy makers. For further details please call - 03 9349 2220 or visit: http://www.astss.org.au/site

3. Rights, Reconciliation, Respect, Responsibility - Planning for a socially inclusive future: University of Technology Sydney. 30 September - 3 October 2008: The conference aims to discuss and debate Australia's future as a cosmopolitan civil society. It will explore four themes including human rights, Indigenous reconciliation, inter-cultural relations and citizenship in a globalising world. These themes will explore opportunities for building a more inclusive and just society, recognising the value of cultural citizenship and the role of the arts in building creative cities, in Indigenous reconciliation, and a charter of human rights for Australia. Over 100 speakers and up to 400 delegates have been invited. This conference will host a number of panel discussions focusing on younger people and their perspectives on future directions and encourage interaction among academics, educators and students with time for Q&A and discussion. Some of the confirmed speakers include Professor Kevin Dunn, UWS racism project; Professor Hurriyet Babacan, Victoria University Institute for Community Ethnicity and Policy Alternatives and Professor Lucy Taksa, UNSW Centre for Industrial Relations. For further details please visit: www.the4rsconference.org

4. Truth, Justice & Reparation – rebuilding health & dignity after trauma & human rights violations. Lima, Peru. 15-18 October 2008: The International Society for Health and Human Rights (ISHHR) is hosting this event. ISHHR was established to share knowledge, skills, experiences and concerns regarding the impact of persecution, torture and other human rights violations. ISHHR brings together professionals and people affected by trauma and human rights abuses from all over the world every few years for a major conference to combat these effects. This conference will continue exploring these issues and organisers are hoping a mix of participants will attend and share knowledge between first world countries and affected regions. This conference also aims to give those who have suffered trauma and human rights abuses the opportunity to share solutions and educate the rest of the world about the problems they face. Keynote speakers include: Boris Drožđek, MD, MA - psychiatrist and medical director at Psychotrauma Centrum Zuid Nederland, the Netherlands: whom specialises in the treatment of survivors of political and war violence; and Dr Eileen Pittaway – Director of the Centre for Refugee Research at the University of New South Wales. The conference is translated live into Spanish and English. Afterwards conference materials will be converted into a free educational resource for attendees and anyone, anywhere to use, also translated into Spanish and English (other languages may follow). Early bird registrations closed on 15 August. For more information please visit: www.ISHHRconference.com

5. The 2nd Australasian Mental Health & Psychosocial Disaster Conference. Sebel & Citigate King George Square Hotel, Brisbane. 21-23 October 2008: MMHA Consortium Partner, Professor Beverley Raphael, Professor Population Mental Health and Disasters at the University of Western Sydney, is a keynote speaker at this conference. Some of the topics that will be discussed include the role of the media and public communications in minimising disaster stress; psychosocial impacts in Hurricane Katrina and lessons for Australia's disaster managers; integration of mental health in large operations; selecting and using crisis counselling as well as identifying special needs groups. The conference is aimed at general emergency management, psychosocial and mental health practitioners. For further information, program details and registrations visit –
www.disasters-psychosocial.org.au

6. 3rd Asia Pacific Regional Conference of the International Association for Suicide Prevention. Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong. 31 October 2008: This Conference will aim to provide an opportunity for practitioners and researchers to share experiences in effective suicide prevention strategies that are adapted to specific cultural contexts. It will provide a forum for academics, mental health professionals, crisis workers, volunteers and suicide survivors to identify promising new prevention and intervention methods and to encourage the development of effective and evidence-based preventive measures in Asian Pacific countries. Some of the guest speakers include the Regional Director for the Western Pacific, World Health Organization, Dr Shigeru Omi; MMHA Consortium member and Director of the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention at Griffith University, Prof Diego De Leo and the Director of the Centre for Research & Intervention on Suicide & Euthanasia at the University of Quebec, Canada, Prof Brian Mishara. For more details please visit: http://csrp.hku.hk/iasp2008/index.html

7. 13th NSW Rural Mental Health Conference at the beautiful Cypress Lakes Resort, Hunter Valley, NSW. 26-28 November 2008: This conference will aim to explore themes surrounding promotion, early intervention and recovery; partnerships; research in rural and remote health as well as mental health and drought. This event will provide a forum to showcase initiatives, reports on projects outline challenges and present new plans designed to deliver help and hope to rural Australia. This conference is an initiative of the NSW Department of Health's Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol Office and the Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health. Abstract submissions close on 25 August 2008. For more information please call 07 5528 2501 or visit: www.astmanagement.com.au/NSWrnm8

8. National Refugee Primary Health Care Conference: Caring Nationally. Mater Health Services, Brisbane. 27-28 November 2008: This conference is hosted by the Queensland Integrated Refugee Community Health Clinic (QIRCH). Following on from the QIRCH’s last conference in October 2004, this national conference aims to inform, educate, stimulate debate, network, inspire, and provide peer support for those healthcare practitioners and other service providers working with people from a refugee background in the primary health care context. The key conference themes are: how to promote and improve practitioner education about refugee healthcare, how to best promote awareness within the health sector on refugee healthcare and how to improve health outcomes for patients from a refugee background. Organisers of this event are now calling for abstracts for papers or workshops addressing one or more of the conference themes. For further details please contact Claire Brolan - 07 3163 2880 or email: Claire.brolan@mater.org.au or visit  www.materonline.org.au/Home/Events/QIRCH-2008-conference.aspx

9. 3rd International Association for translation and intercultural Studies: Mediatioin & Conflict – Translation & Culture in a Global Context. Monash University, Melbourne. 8 – 10 July 2009: This conference aims to provide a forum for approximately 300 delegates from around the world, specialising in translation, interpreting and intercultural studies. The theme that will be embraced during this conference include topics such as transnational media, globalisation, transnational and regional identities and their relationship to culture and processes of translation as well as the role of translation in the reporting of conflict. The call for abstracts closes on 17 September 2008. For further details please call - 03 9692 5999 or visit: www.foxevents.com.au/Current-Events/2009-Events/IATIS-Conference/Default.asp 

10. A Life to be Lived - 4th World Congress on Mental Health and Deafness. Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. 27-30 October 2009: This conference aims to promote an accessible and effective mental health service systeme for deaf and hard of hearing people living in Australia. It also aims to promote awareness of the mental health issues faced by deaf and hard of hearing people and develop best practice approaches. This gathering will feature presentations on infants, children, adolescents, adults and the elderly. Registrations will open in October 2008. For more information please visit: www.mhd2009.org

WHAT’S ONLINE:

1. ADEC Seminar Tackling Stigma, Shame and Guilt: ADEC recently invited international psychiatrist and family therapist, Dr Maurizio Andolfi, to host a seminar titled: "Working with Shame, Guilt and Grief: Destigmatising Disabilities in Ethnic Families". Over 110 health professionals and community representatives attended the session. Topics discussed included the impact of migration on ethnic families and how to overcome the feelings of shame and guilt that can occur when there is a disability or mental illness in the family. Dr Andolfi emphasized the need to focus on strengths within the family and find resources and support. He highlighted some practical strategies to increase social support by establishing family support groups whereby families can come together and share their experiences with each other. Dr
Andolfi also discussed the challenge with the current medical model of treatment, which focuses on treating diseases rather than people with diseases. He also spoke of the importance of working with the whole family rather than just the person with the disability and their immediate carer. For more details from the seminar please see visit: www.adec.org.au/resources.html
 
2. Australian Story - The Waiting Room: ABC TV’s award winning program, Australia Story, recently highlighted the ongoing failure of Australia's mental health system through the story of the tragic murder of Dr Khulod Maarouf-Hassan. Originally from Syria, Dr Maarouf-Hassan, was killed in her Melbourne surgery by Sudanese refugee, Samuel Benjamin. Mr Benjamin was later found not guilty by reason of mental illness, more specifically a psychotic delusion that the whole medical profession was trying to harm him. The program explains how Mr Benjamin had apparently sought help on several occasions leading up to the fatal death of his doctor. However, his cries for help were repeatedly ignored and his mental health worsened. Medical colleagues speak out about the warning signs they say were ignored. And members of the Sudanese community, and relatives of Samuel Benjamin, trace his tragic path to the surgery. To view the program visit: http://www.abc.net.au/austory/specials/waitingroom/default.htm

3. Tormented by violence, Kashmir suffering from scars unseen: In this article, Tribune Correspondent, Laurie Goering, captures the substantial rise in suicides in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Up until 1989, Kashmir had one of the lowest suicide rates in the world, but after nearly two decades of violence it has racked up one of the highest suicide rates in the Muslim world. Goering explains how under Islamic law, suicide is forbidden and despite peace talks between India and Pakistan, nearly every family in the region has lost someone to the fighting or witnessed brutal violence, and hence chronic mental health problems have become an epidemic. Goering goes on to explore how attempts have been made to dispel the stigma, myths and misunderstanding of mental illness in Kashmir. Visit:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-kashmir-mental_goeringjun27,0,526965.story

4. MigHealthNet: The Queen Mary University in London has been developing a European wiki project on migrant and minority history called MigHealthNet.  This project that aims to give professionals, policy makers including health authorities, researchers, educators and representatives of migrant and minority groups easy access to a dynamically evolving body of knowledge and a virtual network of expertise. It’s hoped this site will stimulate the formation of networks of individuals and organisations concerned with migrant and minority health. It covers a series of topics including background information on migrant and minority populations, immigration and intergration policies, accessibility of health care, quality of care to better meet the needs of migrants and minority groups and training. It also features pages for specific groups including refugees and asylum seekers, undocumented migrants, children and youth, elderly migrants, African, Asian, European, North African and Middle Eastern migrants living in the UK. To visist this site – click on: http://www.mighealth.net/uk/index.php/Main_Page

5. Carers Virtual 2020: Carers Virtual is an online Summit that is available now and funded by the Carers Australia Community Engagement Program. The concept is in response to the Australian Prime Minister’s 2020 Summit, which was hosted to try and help shape a long term strategy for the nation's future. But now Carers Australia is holding its own online version specifically focused on carer issues. The Carers Virtual Summit will run through August to allow participants from all over Australia to take part. They are hoping to hear from everyone including carers from CALD backgrounds as Carers Australia is looking for big ideas that will help provide sustainable support for carers across the country. People who wish to take part will then be invited to comment on these ideas or to suggest ideas of their own. Following the open discussion, the University of Canberra will prepare a report to be handed to the Government during Carers Week. For more information is available at www.carers2020.com.au

6. Thinking Mental Health: This website has been designed as an information resource on mental health. It questions the efficacy and integrity of traditional psychiatric treatments and provides some new ways of dealing with mental health. Do you know the difference between Bio-psychiatry and Anti-psychiatry? Find out how psychiatric drugs affect your health and more about your own mental health. This website features sections on work and stress, lifestyle, exercise, health cover and art. Visit: http://home.vicnet.net.au/~thinkmh

7. Online edition for people with bipolar disorder: Researchers at the University of NSW are currently recruiting people with bipolar disorder throughout Australia to participate in an online study designed to help people take control of their illness and stay well. To be eligible you need to have been diagnosed with bipolar with the last 12-months, have a treating physician or clinical psychologist, be able to undertake eight 30-minute weekly online sessions and complete four questionnaires over eight months, be over 18 and living in Australia; and have an email address and access to the internet. For further information please contact: onlineprograms@unsw.edu.au

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